Prescription Drug Registry Can Save Lives

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R,C-Brooklyn, Staten Island) issued the following statement regarding legislation, which she co-sponsored, to create a prescription drug registry to fight abuse, which passed both the state Senate and Assembly today:

June 11, 2012

New York state is poised to become a national leader in combating prescription drug abuse, and nowhere else in our state could this be needed more than here on Staten Island, where pain medication overdoses claim more lives on an annual basis than car crashes or murders. Monitoring the issuance of prescriptions for potent drugs will help stop the doctor shopping we have seen even recently on Staten Island, which leads to an excess amount of pills hitting the streets and threatening our children and families.

With one of our neighbors overdosing every 13 days, this issue affects each and every Islander, as many of us have a friend, family member or acquaintance who has dealt with addiction. I commend Senator Lanza, Assemblyman Cusick and the entire Island delegation for heeding the call of Staten Islanders who are desperate for an end to the prescription drug epidemic plaguing our borough.